HerKentucky Entertaining: Kentucky Cookbooks
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| Mark Badgley and James Mischka's KY Farmhouse, via Elle Decor. |
- What's Cooking In Kentucky -- The author, Irene Hayes, was my hometown's postmistress and a member of my parents' church. In my town, "Irene's Cookbook" is a traditional gift for brides or others who are setting up housekeeping. I love to see this 1960s favorite proudly displayed at State Parks and local bookstores!!
- Bluegrass Winners -- The original Bluegrass Winners and its companion volume, Entertaining with Bluegrass Winners, contain classic recipes from the kitchens of central Kentucky horse farms. Excellent recipes and stunning photography.
- Splendor in the Bluegrass -- The Junior League of Louisville's signature cookbook. I sure have had to sell a lot of these, so I can certainly assure you that there are some wonderful recipes.
- Home Again, Home Again -- Junior League of Owensboro's current volume, as well as their classic To Market, To Market.
- How to Throw a Great Derby Party -- Herald-Leader Lifestyle writer Sue Wylie's suggestions for celebrating Greatest Day of the Year.
- The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook -- Because I'm always looking for more ways to use bourbon.
What is your favorite Kentucky Cookbook?
Where I'm From.
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| iPad, Guinness and holler. |
This afternoon, I went outside to walk my dogs. As I looked down at my outfit -- an Under Armour base layer, faded jeans, well-worn rain boots and my fiance's cast-off winter jacket -- I realized that I could be geared up for many places. Dressed for muck, and with a bottle of Guinness in my hand, I looked every bit the Scots-Irish girl that my genealogy chart would present. I could be in my mother's family's native County Quinn, or I could be on a horse farm in my beloved Central Kentucky, or I could be dressed for countless outdoorsy places other than my parents' Eastern Kentucky home, where I'm visiting for a few days. In fact, the beer made my hometown less likely, as I'm from the kind of town where any alcohol is suspect, let alone a lady drinking on a weeknight.
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| Max explores a creek,. |
I've always had a complicated relationship with my Appalachian heritage. Now, I find that most people I know tend to fully embrace or summarily reject their mountain roots. Neither path has ever felt quite right for me, though. There are certainly times when I wonder what it would have been like if I'd spent my formative years on the Upper East Side, or in a subdivision, or dozens of other places. There are other times when I'm overcome by the beauty of the place where I was raised -- times when it seems that I am really seeing a creek or a tree for the very first time. Most of the time, though, I've come to realize that I was born to that particular little plot of earth not by fortune -- be it good or bad -- but sheerly by fate. It's not something I love or hate; it simply just is.
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| My grandparents, father and aunt, Easter 1957. |
I've recently undertaken the archiving of my father's family's photographs. As eight decades of Watsons have come to life from yellowed, often-crumbling photos, the Appalachian landscape has emerged alongside them. Rocky hills in the background. Farmhouses. Tall, majestic pine trees and their scrub brethren. As central a character to our family history as any ancestor.
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| I grew up here. |
Maybe that very familiarity has led to the complexities in my relationship with my homeland. Perhaps that is why I feel perfectly entitled to cringe a little when James Still's lost manuscript is reviewed in the Oxford American (I've always secretly considered Still's work to be the worst form of hillbilly-gothic). Maybe it is akin to a familial relationship. And, like most complex family relationships, maybe that is why I can be completely flummoxed by "the way we do things around here", then nearly moved to tears by the beauty of the rocky stream at the back of my parents' land only minutes later. The trite old saying goes that you don't pick your family. And, in a very real way, for good or for ill, I suppose that don't pick your homeland either.
Your Favorite Things
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Last week, we began our list of our 100 Favorite Kentucky Things. We listed our favorites in cities and small towns, from the mountains to the Purchase. We learned that the HerKentucky team likes the Seelbach, Cheapside, and horse races a whole lot!
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Le Relais: a Delicious Flight to a More Romantic Time.
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| Image via KAHS/ Bowman Field |
Louisville's Taylorsville Road is hardly a romantic stretch. I've always thought of it as a bridge between the Highlands and the East End, with few remarkable sights of its own. There are a lot of ranch-style houses.
But, just past a strip of Taylorsville Road gas stations and liquor stores, lies Bowman Field, Kentucky's first commercial airport which dates back to 1922. Charles Lindbergh once flew the Spirit of St Louis there. Scenes from Goldfinger were filmed there. It's a charming testament to the glamor and romance of the early days of flight.
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| Image via Le Relais. |
Nestled inside the Art Deco terminal building is Le Relais, a charming French bistro with a decidedly nostalgic feel. Sometimes, on just the right day, you feel like you've stepped into a scene from Casablanca. It's almost impossible to believe that you're still a stone's throw away from everyday Louisville as you order fromage, escargots, and tarte aux pommes. Rather, you feel that you're in a magical way station, fueling up on delicious French food as you prepare to board a plane for a more romantic time.
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| Image via Le Relais |
Le Relais is my favorite Valentine's Day dinner destination. The beautiful location, extensive wine list, and delicious French fare provide a truly romantic backdrop without the overwrought gimmicks that so often arise with the February holiday. Instead, Le Relais can provide you with a fantastic crème brûlée and the off-chance of seeing Lindbergh's ghost. That's a pretty special Valentine's Day in my book.
Kentucky is for Lovers
In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would honor some of the most romantic spots in the state.
1. Paducah! Last year, Paducah's downtown was named one of the five Most Romantic Main Streets by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. You can stroll down cobblestone streets, have a romantic dinner, or take a horse drawn carriage with your significant other all the with the beautiful moonlit Ohio River a few blocks away.
2. The Moonbow Nothing could be more romantic than rainbow created by the reflection of the moon and there are only a few places in the world you can see one. One is at Cumberland Falls in Corbin, Kentucky.
3. Stay at Castle Post It's a CASTLE. Enough said.
4. Spend the night in one of Wildwood Inns themed suites. Wildwood Inn Tropical Dome and Themed Suites has it all. You can sleep in a treehouse, a cave, a pirate ship. However, as far as romance, nothing compares to the Champagne Suite with a two-story champagne glass-shaped spa!
5. Mammoth Cave Recently named by HotelClub as the number 2 most romantic destination, I can see how being in the dark, breathtaking cave could make you feel love appreciation for your nearest and dearest.
Did I miss any? What do y'all think are the most romantic spots around the Bluegrass State?
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
Megan's 20 Things
20 Random Things I love about Kentucky:
1. William T Young Library- spent many days and nights in this beautiful library.
2. Chevy Chase Starbucks- I absolutely love this area and spent a lot of time at this establishment.
3. Woodland Arts Festival- lovely little festival
4. Arboretum Walking Trail- so many mornings and evenings spent strolling this walking trail.
5. Freeman Lake- one neat thing about Elizabethtown
6. Bellini's- love their food
7. AJ's Casuals- super cute clothes
8. Elizabethtown Swim and Fitness Center- many memories here
9. Cheapside Bar and Grill- no explanation needed!
10. Harvey's- their jukebox is dangerous.
11. McCarthy's Irish Pub- does the guy with the Russian hat still work the door?
12. White Hall Classroom Building- University of Kentucky
13. Keeneland- no explanation needed.
14. Charlie Brown's- love their cheese poppers
15. Churchill Downs- a Kentucky staple
16. SDF- always excited to go on trips.
17. Elizabethtown Baptist Church- reppin' my hometown!
18. Common Grounds Coffee House- lovely little nook to study or hang out
19. Rosebud- so many memories here
20. Austin City Saloon- one word: karaoke ... maybe another word: popcorn
Sarah's 20 Things
- Patti's Boat Sinker Pie
- The Judds
- Wide open Western Kentucky sky
- The Kentucky Derby
- Kentucky Lake
- Leigh's Barbecue
- Old Morrison
- bell hooks
- Bluegrass music
- Abraham Lincoln
- Transylvania University
- Kern's Kitchen Derby Pie...and the fact that they serve it in the cafeteria at Transy.
- Loretta Lynn
- Blue Moon of Kentucky...as sung by just about anyone.
- Barbara Kingsolver
- The Appalachian Mountains
- Wendell Berry
- Paducah
- Grater's ice cream
- Kentuckians
~ Sarah Stewart Holland